June 2009: Djentrification in Japan

When I think of the future, I think of Japan. With its warp-speed pace and space-age electronics, I feel like Japan is already light years ahead of the States. The whole country must be carrying paper-thin cell phones and personal teleportation devices by now. While technology may be hyperadvanced, its fledgling street art scene is still growing. As he traveled through Asia, contributor Djentrification made stops in Korea and Japan. Today, we'll see some of his Japanese photos and hear what's going on in the Far East.

“One of the writers in the Japan pics is ADEKS. I met him in Seattle in 1995. He was giving out paint pens like a little Robin Hood and bombed Seattle like crazy. It was nasty, raw, and everywhere.”
“Last time I heard about him, he’d fell off a freeway overpass while he was painting and was static for a while. It’s interesting to see that he’s up a bit in Japan and some other countries, too.”
“There’s a writer named Pilfer up everywhere in Tokyo. That cat’s crazy!”
“You know what’s weird? Japan’s stickers and tags build up on one box over a few years. No one’s going over each other, and in the end it looks sweet. There’s a bunch of different stuff side by side and it’s all layered up. Lovely!”
“Graffiti and its cousins are flourishing in Asia. Birth pangs of the new communications are moving things along nicely.”

Thanks, D! For more info, check up on Djentrification on MySpace.